Rococo and Art of the Enlightenment - Assignment Example

In Baroque/Renaissance art a subject does not have to be in a scene but can appear out of nowhere. Rococo subjects are normally set in a scene. These scenes are of individuals having fun, playing, or enjoying themselves. The Rococo movement was light and airy. It did not have the seriousness of the subject matter of Baroque or Renaissance art. Since I prefer Van Gogh, I would not find a piece of the Rococo painting hanging in my house pleasing. It is too bright and cheerful for me. Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun painted images of women and children because that was who would hire her.

Although France fought for freedom right before, during, and after the French Revolution, women’s rights were not common. Men of that time generally had reservations about hiring a woman to paint their portrait. These women painters made money off of their portraits. So if the choice was to paint women and babies or starve, what would the art critic do? Historians need to get past the gender issue and critique a painting on style, aesthetic appearance, and compared to the other works of the time.

Other male artists painted women without critique. Why did some male artists paint only nude women? Gender has nothing to do with good art. Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun’s paintings were masterpieces. It does not matter that she was a girl.